“I think they can tell you right now how many days he’s going to play the next week. I think everything’s scripted.”

That was MLB insider Bob Nightengale, directly blaming Giants President Buster Posey for blocking the team’s top prospect. The Giants are 4th in the NL West with a 20-30 record and struggling offensively. Yet, one of their hottest prospects, the 21-year-old Bryce Eldridge, isn’t getting consistent at-bats. He is on the bench instead of helping the team.

The team’s awful offense makes the benching even harder to understand. San Francisco ranks dead last in the majors in runs scored and on-base percentage, and they sit near the bottom of the league in home runs. Even worse, they have already been shut out eight times. Yet, despite this terrible production, the front office refuses to give their best young power hitter a real chance.

When asked on the Foul Territory podcast if manager Tony Vitello was responsible for benching the left-handed hitter, Nightengale said no.

“I think it’s Posey in the front office,” Nightingale added. “I think it’s way above Vitello’s head.”

Bryce Eldridge was called up to join the Giants’ active roster on May 4. Since then, the team has played 16 games, and the 21-year-old has only appeared in 10 of them. Eldridge had a .333 batting average in Triple-A. He went from .963 OPS in the minors to searching for at-bats in the major league. 

Eldridge has an impressive stature of 6-foot-7. He is known for his impressive raw power in the minors. His massive and highly projectable frame allows exceptional leverage and swing speed. But Bryce doesn’t have the numbers in MLB. He has only managed a .156 AVG and .510 OPS.

And fans and analysts alike think that is due to a lack of consistency at the batter’s box. He felt rusty sitting out multiple games. 

“[He] felt like he hadn’t played for a week,” Nightingale quoted Eldridge after he hit the plate against the Diamondbacks following a two-day gap. 

Critics believe that the Giants are creating the worst environment for such a prospect. He is still trying to settle into big league pitching. Limiting his at-bats is affecting him negatively. This is a clear pattern for Posey. High-profile prospects like Marco Luciano and Luis Matos stalled out recently because the front office refused to give them a steady developmental runway. Posey has publicly stated that the tight division race forces him to evaluate lineups day-to-day and rely on veterans over young players working through growing pains.

But the problem goes beyond Bryce Eldridge. 

Giants’ infield logjam continues to cloud Eldridge’s role

San Francisco has Rafael Devers and Casey Schmitt in the role for first base or DH. Eldridge is basically fighting for the same spot. Devers is cemented at first base, while young Schmitt has proven to be a better offensive option with a .293 AVG and .866 OPS. 

The only other alternative for Schmitt to make way for Eldridge is to shift to third base, his secondary position. But the Giants have Matt Chapman in that role with a massive 6-year, $151 million contract signed in 2024. 

Unless the SF front office offloads at least one of these players, they will continue to create roadblocks for their top prospect. And Vitello is yet to find a solution to the problem. 

“It does make it a little bit of a puzzle to solve,” he admitted. 

But he understands the stakes. He knows that Eldridge needs the at-bats to reach the level he has potential for. And benching him after he hit that homer against the Pirates didn’t do him any good. The real pickle is that Vitello said Eldridge is here to boost the offense. He mentioned that, “[Eldridge is] here in the long run.”

And now their treatment of the young player is the absolute opposite. That’s why Posey is drawing the criticism. While the Giants say they believe in the player, their actions say otherwise. 

Nightingale emphasized that Bryce Eldridge needs more playing time. He made it clear that “At some point, they just have to make a decision like, he’s up here, he’s gotta play, allow him to get at bats.”

However, if San Francisco doesn’t get out of the contention, the pressure will only grow on Posey. He needs to commit to the franchise’s future centerpiece before things complicate further.